Baylor Invited to Join National Physics Research Lab

by Judy Long
Baylor University has been awarded membership in the Universities Space Research Association, a private non-profit organization established by the National Academy of Sciences. The independent consortium, established in 1969, is comprised of 97 U.S. universities offering graduate programs in space sciences or aerospace engineering.
USRA member institutions act together as a council providing research and program guidance to NASA, with NASA grants and contracts funding most USRA activities. Baylor's representative to the council is Dr. Truell Hyde, vice provost for research and professor of physics.
Hyde said membership will open multiple doors for establishing research collaborations between Baylor and other member institutions. Hyde also serves as director of Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics and Engineering Research (CASPER).
"We are certainly excited that we were admitted on our first try. The USRA offers wonderful opportunities both for student education and research collaboration with other USRA member institutions, such as Yale, Caltech and the University of Texas," Hyde said.
"The USRA has been a driving force behind much of the cutting-edge space science education and research in the U.S., and we are very pleased to be a member," Hyde said.
The educational alliance exists primarily to help universities and other research institutions to "cooperate with one another, the government of the United States and other organizations toward the development of knowledge associated with space science and technology." The association serves as a link between NASA and the academic community.
USRA provides a mechanism through which universities can cooperate effectively with one another, with the government, and with other organizations to further space science and technology, and to promote education in these areas. The group also recognizes outstanding researchers in earth science disciplines and offers scholarships to students of member institutions.
For more information, contact the <office of the vice provost for research at (254) 710-3763.